Editor: Ridhi Miglani

Co-Editors: Saamya Mehta and Ajay Anne

Welcome to the spring edition of this year’s DBVG Newsletter! This issue contains the main events that our Youth Group at Bal Vihar has participated in. This recaps our debate, discussion, and various service projects we completed in the second half of the year.

By: Shirin Patel

The 2024 Downingtown Balvihar Youth Group debate was not one to miss. Many topics were argued, and for the first time, we had a tie between two teams that debated.  Teams argued on a range of topics covering contemporary discussions including the responsibility of social media to monitor content posted by its users, the ethics surrounding constant surveillance in public places and whether the collection of data went against our rights to privacy, whether college athletes should get paid to play for their college teams, if midterms and finals exams were necessary, and whether there should be an age limit for people wanting to run for government positions. As always, the teams were well prepared.  Teams presented excellent opening statements and rebuttals that made for heated discussion. The judges followed up with questions at the end of each debate, and teams were prepared with quick and informational responses. The youth group let out a collective groan when the mentors told them how proud they were and that each year’s excellent performance solidified their desire to continue the debates.  Though it seemed like a chore for many at first, in the end, the youth group came together as a team and showcased their strengths collectively. Members are already excited for next year’s debate, and many strive to set this year’s score record! 

By: Shrey Shah

  The Israel-Hamas war has now been going on for several months, and has claimed over 30,000 lives. The war started on October 7th, 2023, when a Palestinian militant group Hamas led an attack on Israel. Three months later, on January 7th, 2024, the DBV Youth Group had an insightful discussion delving into the prolonged conflicts and political complexities that have resulted in profound suffering for both Israel’s Jews and Palestine’s Muslims. Students researched not only the events surrounding the current conflict, but the history of the region. They engaged in a guided discussion around the roots of this conflict, humanitarian issues, American foreign policy, personal feelings around the conflict, and the challenges of discussing these emotionally charged issues with peers from both backgrounds. This topic was certainly not the easiest or most comfortable to talk about, but the Youth Group navigated it maturely and acknowledged the nuances in a respectful manner.

By: Ajay Anne

Health systems in low-income countries often have limited access to vital medical supplies. As a result, these countries rely heavily on donations. Project CURE is one organization that helps undersupplied countries’ health systems. They are the world’s largest donor of medical supplies and equipment and the DBV Youth Group has been volunteering with them over the past few years in different ways to help their mission. On February 3rd to we volunteered at a our local warehouse branch of Project CURE. After a tour of the facility and learning more about the organization, students got to work unloading and sorting donations.  They helped unpack boxes containing various different medical instruments, clothing for healthcare workers, and hygiene products. They sorted the assortment of supplies into groups and bagged them. Then, they would find a category for the bag to go: hygiene products, tubing, respiration, etc. The donations were now ready for the next step in the donation process: inventory and storage. Then, requested supplies get pulled from the warehouse into a shipping container and shipped off to the country that is in need of medical supplies! Project CURE has worked to change the lives of humans in as many as 135 countries. Together, with the help of dedicated volunteers and staff, Project CURE will deliver health and hope to those in need of medical aid. 

By: Devan Mehta

Throughout the month of March, the Youth Group held a clothing drive for all types of used Indian clothing. Our goal was both environmental and social - to keep clothes out of landfills, to benefit an underserved Indian community in Deleware, and to help families do some spring cleaning of their clothes in the process! The drive was a big success. On the final collection day, we were joined by  Babita Jagnan, owner of the Phoenix Used Clothinhg Corp, the organization that was receiving our donations. Babita auntie was born in Guyana and raised in New Jersey. 25 years ago she joined a textile industry and realized how much waste clothing produces. This inspired her to seek a solution, which led her to creating Phoenix Used Clothing. Babita auntie spoke to youth group about what can be recycled and how to recycle clothes. She also discussed how to be smart about what clothes we buy. She also held a Q&A for YG members to ask about upcycling clothes and the organization as a female and a minority, and how she overcame the struggle. Today, her organization has grown and received the Governer's award. She has even been names as one of the 40 Empowering Women in Business in Deleware. After the talk, we loaded up the truck with the donations. Those in good condition will be distributed to underserved communities locally and to India, and those which cannot be used will be upcycled or recycled through green innovates. We thank our DBV families for their contributions to making this drive a success.

By: Miraan Jhaveri

A big part of the Downingtown Balvihar Youth Group is not only our super fun service projects and service events but also our group meetings where we explore global news and do many fun activities. One of these topics was the Ram Mandir.  It was one of the biggest events happening in India and being followed by Indians worldwide, but sadly, very few of us had even heard about it and almost no one knew the history behind it. Our mentors took the opportunity to help us learn about what exactly was happening back home in India and why.  

             In this discussion, we not only learned about the tortured history behind the Ram Mandir but also the political views behind it on both sides of the issue. We learned about the intersection of religion and politics in this controversial topic. We drew parallels to other global and historical issues we were more familiar with.  And we introspected and challenged our perspectives on these issues. Then we shifted our focus from the historical to the current.  We got a glimpse at all the celebrations happening to commemorate the inauguration of the Ram Mandir.  We spent time listening to and understanding Prime mMinister, Narendra Modi’s thoughtful, powerful, and visionary speech 

that he delivered on the occasion.  We talked about what this means for India and whether we can identify with the sentiment of the country and the vision for its future that he shared.

             All in all, these types of discussions not only teach us about prevalent subjects around the world, but allows us to be more in touch with our Indian roots and even engage in deeper conversations with our families.

By: Neha Mehta

To mark the 10^th anniversary of our Youth Group, DBV hosted the inaugural YOUTHsav - a special evening gala of recognition and celebration for students and their families. YG alumni spanning the past decade returned to attend as our special guests, making the event even more cherished and memorable.  Families had the opportunity to mingle with each other as they enjoyed a delicious dinner.  Each YG class and its individual students were recognized by mentors and awarded a pin, which they earn for successfully completing the year.  Graduating seniors were spotlighted with heartfelt and even tearful messages.  As we reflected on our beginnings as a group and how far we've come, we were also challenged to imagine our future and how we'd like to continue to grow - not just personally, but also as a group.  The celebration then rounded out with some dessert and dancing.  This utsav for the youth, our 'YOUTHsav', left students and parents alike with beautiful memories.  We are so thankful to all the parent volunteers who helped make this night happen and can't wait for next year!

By: Saamya Mehta

On April 27th, Downingtown Bal Vihar Youth Group orchestrated and ran a Holi event at the Montgomery School. We organized a fair-like setting inside the gym for kids of all ages to enjoy. We had a craft table where kids could plant seeds and color their flower pots, we had a "hope card" station where kids could write cards to children in Syria, and perhaps our biggest hit was an ongoing game of musical chairs. Our youth group created a flavorful playlist and added twists to the game throughout. After the kids' round was done, we invited moms and dads to play a scavenger hunt/musical chairs hybrid game. Whether it was finding a flower outside or grabbing someone's keys, the parents had to complete the task and run back to claim their chair to move on to the next round. Our group also held a mouth-watering cooking competition. There were two categories - sweet and savory - and contestants were graded based on a rubric created by the youth group volunteers running the table. While every contestant brought colorful and exciting delicacies, our winners were Urvashi Patel, Parikha Mehta, Karishma Khabaria, and Smital Adgaonkar. Our youth group had a snack stand where we sold chips, water, and cotton candy to contribute towards our year long charity goal of fully funding the higher education of one underprivileged, parentless child in India. After the activities, the families enjoyed dinner, dessert, and to close the night, played colors. Everyone had a wonderful time thanks to all the volunteers' hard work.

DBV extends congratulations and best wishes to the following students and their families!